Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Saddened by the Supreme Court`s decision to put a stay on the execution of two men convicted for their role in the gang-rape and murder of her daughter, Nirbhaya`s mother on Monday said that they were hurt by the decision.
The apex court has stayed the execution of Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur after the two men appealed against a trial court`s verdict, which had held them guilty and awarded death penalty.
Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Ram Singh along with a juvenile were accused of gang-rape and assault on a 23-year-old paramedical student inside a private bus in 2012. The victim and her friend were thrown out of the bus after the crime.
Meanwhile, Nirbhaya`s mother has also welcomed the statement of Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi that juveniles, accused of serious crimes like rape, be treated on par with adults.
Ram Singh died in police custody on March 11, 2013 in the Tihar Jail.
The juvenile was convicted of rape and murder and given the maximum sentence of three years in jail. On September 10, 2013, the four remaining adult defendants were found guilty of rape and murder and, three days later, they were sentenced to death by hanging.
The entire country was shaken when Nirbhaya, a para-medical student, succumbed to the deadly injuries perpetrated on her by six men in a moving bus.
She along with her male friend, was thrown naked off the moving bus, on the road after being brutally assaulted.
The victim died of grave intestinal injuries Dec 29, 2012, at Singapore`s Mount Elizabeth Hospital where she was airlifted to for specialised treatment.
